Remember the Alamo: 181 years since the Fall of the Alamo

SAN ANTONIO – It has been 181 years since the Alamo fell to Mexican forces.

In honor of the 1836 siege and the battle, for the last 13 days, the staff at the Alamo has presented interactive history programming and special events to commemorate the 181st anniversary. On Monday, the defenders will be remembered in public ceremonies to mark the anniversary.

On February 23, 1836, a Mexican force of 1,800 to 6,000 men commanded by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna began a siege of the fort, according to History.com. The Alamo held out for 13 days, but on the morning of March 6, the Mexican forces broke through the outer wall of the courtyard and overpowered them.

On March 6, 2017, Alamo Living Historians will present historical readings at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. of what was happening at the Alamo in 1836. These presentations will take place in front of the Alamo Church and last between 10 and 15 minutes.

Throughout the day guests can learn more about the history of the Alamo through live demonstrations across the grounds from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On the evening of March 6, 1836, General Antonio López de Santa Anna ordered soldiers to light three funeral pyres on which rested the bodies of the Alamo’s defenders, according to the Alamo’s website. These fires burned through the night and into the following day, reducing the men of the Alamo’s garrison to ashes.

A year later on February 25, 1837, Colonel Juan N. Seguín and his battalion returned to San Antonio where the Tejano leader instructed his men to gather the ashes of their fallen comrades and ordered a memorial service held in their honor, according to the Alamo’s website.

Dusk at the Alamo is a brief ceremony to commemorate the lighting of the funeral pyres. It will take place in front of the Alamo Church at 6 p.m.